


The Red Sky

by MistyEyedCrow



Series: Misty's Complete Collection of One-shots [13]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Bdubs: vietnam war flashbacks, Ex is not evil just misunderstood!, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Physical Disability, Tango ain't in the driver's seat, Tango's gone crazy!, Xisuma goes on a wild goose chase, Zed and Impulse are good friends honestly, a lesson about himself as a person, and Ex just wants X to learn a lesson, but he tries his best, dubious sky, for a moment - Freeform, he is a good egg i swear, nah not really, this is hefty you've been warned, told you Ex wasn't evil, yes the tags are a mess I AM AWARE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:55:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24674953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistyEyedCrow/pseuds/MistyEyedCrow
Summary: There was always something going on in their server, some new sheananigans taking place each day. One could wake up every morning to a new prank, a new event, anything of that kind, really. It never came as a surprise anymore.Except, when Tango woke up that morning, it wasn't some event that changed. No, it was the whole sky that bled red.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Misty's Complete Collection of One-shots [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996384
Comments: 26
Kudos: 109





	The Red Sky

When he woke up this morning, the sky was red.

It wasn't even a gradual change, the sky slowly bleeding red over the months. No, it was as if something in the universe shifted, wrongly, and now the sky was red. Rose-red, with wisps of white clouds cradling the yellow sun. It felt wrong, the hairs on his skin rising whenever his gaze fell upon it.

Tango had pulled an all-nighter trying to detail his buildings, managing only a few hours of sleep. So naturally, his first train of thought was that it was a hallucination. An image that his sleep-deprived mind created. That, or one of the other hermits decided to prank him really badly, it would not be the first time after all. But the longer he stared at the sky, the more convinced he was that it was real.

That something was terribly wrong.

Slipping on his elytra with well-practiced ease, he shot up carefully into the sky, still hoping it was just a well-executed prank. With hands outstretched, he tried to feel the smooth surface of red glass, or anything, really. But as his hands grew colder and the air started to thin, he began to realize it either had to be real, or be a very good prank by the only person with the admin powers to do it, Xisuma. He could not fathom why, though.

He had to message Xisuma about it then, whichever it was. Diving down quickly from his dizzying height, he spotted Impulse's base below and glided down towards it, not wanting to risk either his communicator slipping out his hands as he flew or a quick death. Seeing the base opening getting closer, he aimed for the entrance, passing through into Impulse's actual base.

He had only just landed inside, fingers reaching for the communicator in his pocket when Impulse rushed out of his storage area, a couple of shulker boxes gathered in his arms. Seeing the other, the question already on his tongue, Tango opened his mouth to speak, only to stop as the other smiled before delivering his daily greetings.

"Morning Tango! Lovely weather we're having, huh? I've got to go now, so don't steal too many of my items while you're here!"

He was stunned into silence, unable to form his thoughts into words as Impulse simply laughed before racing off towards his nether portal. Impulse seemed... normal. Like it was any other day. Like the sky wasn't a scarlet red, now seemingly darker than before, almost like it was angry at something.

It had to be a prank by Xisuma then, there was no other explanation. If it was a glitch, surely everyone would see it? Unless Impulse was just so busy that he hadn't even seen the sky yet. There weren't too many explanations for it, but it had to be that. It had to be one of those reasons, at least.

Well that, or he could be going crazy. 

Shaking off those laughing thoughts, he rushed into the nether after Impulse, hoping someone else in the shopping district would have seen the scarlet sky too. He ignored the fact that his communicator would likely be blowing up if anyone saw the same as he did.

\-----

"Bdubs!" Tango shouted as soon as he saw his boomer counterpart, relieved to have spotted someone in the district. The red sky was overwhelming here without much shelters in the district, burning into his thoughts as he searched the island. Luckily for him, he had spotted Bdubs sneaking around, an end rod in his hands for some odd reason.

The man in question jumped at the sound, taking one look at him before shooting out a hand, grabbing his arm and dragging him into the boomer's building basement. Tango could not deny the relief that flooded him the moment he was out of sight of the sky, though he wasn't exactly sure why. It wasn't like the sky could see him, right?

"Hey Tango." Bdubs slid on an easy smile, the end rod hidden poorly behind his back. "What brings you here at this time? We don't have any new jobs yet."

Tango's eyes narrowed slightly at those words. Bdubs didn't mention anything about the sky either. "Well, I woke up this morning and the sky was red. I'm just trying to make sure I'm not still dreaming."

With a grin, Bdubs struck him across the back, making him stumble forward with the force. Glaring back, his eyes only softened when the other laughed harder. His smile was too contagious. "I think that answers your question."

Rolling his eyes, Tango made to leave the basement reluctantly, though he was stopped again by Bdubs holding his arm almost gently this time. He turned, surprised to see the barely-veiled concern in those eyes, and something more. "Hey Tango? I know you, and I know you need more sleep. But... if the sky is still red, maybe find Xisuma? There could be some... problem with your code."

Ah. With an apologetic smile, Tango nodded. "I will, don't worry man. I'll be fine." 

With a nod more for himself than Tango, Bdubs let go of his arm. "Don't let me stop you then."

Leaving the basement, Tango could almost swear the sky got brighter again. Still, the red sky was less daunting now, knowing it could still be a lack-of-sleep thing. Shifting the weight of the elytra on his back, he started the trek towards the portal, not feeling in the mood to fly the short journey back. Maybe a quick check on his farms, then a long rest would fix all of this.

He hoped, at least.

\-----

When he opened his eyes again, a sort of groan made it way out of his lips as he pushed himself up. His arm prickled uncomfortably, still feeling the phantom weight of his body lying on it. Shaking it off, he forced himself to get off his bed, taking unsteady steps to his window, afraid of what might await him. 

With a blink, the sky remained red.

Maybe he really was going crazy, because he could have sworn the sky felt... amused. A flash of emotions too quick to have been his own. His skin crawled with goosebumps as he took a step back involuntarily, out of sight of the swirling red streaks. 

He had to find Xisuma. Xisuma had to know.

Shrugging on his elytra, he quickly flew out of his base, taking a route he barely knew to their admin's base. It wasn't like he had many reasons to visit the guy in this world, anyway. The last time they had met, they had only hung out at Tango's base. Still, Tango had a rough idea of where it was from the time the boomers went over to Keralis's base.

Seeing the honey themed towers appear in his line of sight, he swooped down under the archway, flying low in search of a certain name tag. Even after a few rounds of zigzagging, he could not see the guy's tag at all. Strange really, considering how much of a hermit Xisuma had become in the recent weeks.

Maybe he was mining under the shopping district?

Tango flew off again, this time in the direction of the shopping district. There weren't really that many places he could be, though he could have been at their collective excavation sites for materials. He spammed more rockets than he necessary, the sun beating mercilessly against his back even as darker shades crept over the setting sun. He had a strange feeling that he was running out of time.

"Have you seen X?" The few hermits he came across in the shopping district all replied with resounding 'no's, though Iskall did suggest that he might be resting in the end. Tango saw Bdubs by the boomer store again, but he didn't really have the heart to tell Bdubs what was happening. Sneaking off to the portal under the town hall stairs, he briefly wondered where else Xisuma could be. Maybe he should go to the end next...

When he next blinked, he found himself face to face with an equally shocked Xisuma.

Their admin looked worse for the wear, shoulders lined with fatigue and tired eyes barely held open through his helmet visor. Tango couldn't help the words that slipped out.

"What the heck happened to you?"

Xisuma seemed even more defeated at those words, his shoulders straightening even as his eyes winced. Tango wondered if Xisuma knew how expressive he really was, under the helmet. "Nothing, really... Why are you here?"

Tango narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I've got a problem X, the sky's been red for me ever since this morning. No one else sees it. Bdubs said it might be a code issue, Cub asked if I was going crazy..." Tango watched Xisuma's eyes carefully, seeing no hint of confusion in them. Just tiredness.

"I see..." Xisuma spoke slowly, as if measuring his words. "Well, I'm rather busy at the moment, but if you go back to your base I can look into the codes later, alright?"

"But-"

Before he could even get his words out, Xisuma grabbed his arm, pulling them both into that gut-wrenching feeling of teleportation. A split second of freefall passed before they landed back at Tango's base, Tango stumbling as they reached. He fell forward on his hands, clutching his stomach tightly as his lunch threatened to leave.

He hated teleporting.

Forcing himself to look up, he could see a smile that didn't quite reach Xisuma's eyes, barely reassuring. "See you later Tango. Keep yourself busy, okay? And... message me before you sleep later."

All it took was one blink before Xisuma was gone again, leaving behind the faint smell of honey. Tango rubbed his stomach carefully, looking at the spot where Xisuma once stood with an uneasy thought in his mind. From the corner of his eye, the sky seemed to confirm his thoughts.

Xisuma knew something. And whatever it was, it wasn't good.

\-----

He had been working for a few hours now, having retreated inside when the sky grew too dark. His arms felt tired, aching from the heavy concrete he had been carrying all night, trying to add to his towers. A grindy task that sucked all his thoughts away, that almost distracted him from the sky. The sky, that still stayed persistently red, even through the night.

Usually, he loved to rise early once in a while, to take in the sunrise. This time, the rising sun felt more like a curse, laughing at him for staying up again, late, til his whole body trembled with fatigue. Bringing forth the red that was beginning to haunt him.

He couldn't go to sleep.

Xisuma's face tormented him in his thoughts, the look of a man pushed to his limits. The look of a man who had already failed. A look that knew full well it was seeing a dead man walking.

He wasn't sure if he would die. It might have been just a visual glitch, something easy to rectify. But every time he tried to think positively, Xisuma's face appeared in his mind and a whisper snuck into his thoughts. Surely the red sky had to be more sinister than that. Maybe the same fate of the NHO awaited him.

He had spent too many hours left alone to his own thoughts, typed too many messages to Xisuma before ultimately deleting them all. In that time, he'd gone through many emotions, from numb acceptance to pure rage. At one point, he sat on the edge of his tower, cursing the reddish night sky with a shaking fist, shouting til his voice grew hoarse. But only silence answered back. Not a single reply, not even the hint of a rocket from his closest neighbours. No one heard him.

He had flown around the towers more times than he had cared to know by now, his elytras all a hair's breadth from cracking down the seams. He knew he should have repaired them, maybe even visited the end to escape the sky. Somehow though, he felt trapped within his own base, as if it was one of the rules in some twisted game. Unable to leave again.

Maybe he was trapped in his own mind.

Landing heavily back on his storage level, his back turned to the rising, mocking sun, he trudged forward to the chest and shulkers strewn messily on the floor. His materials were falling out of his chests by now, some fallen into the holes leading to the room underneath. It all didn't matter, he had to finish work on his base. He had to feed the ravagers, he had to detail the base faces. He had to... he had to...

His knees buckled as he fell, arms shooting out to catch himself, scraping painfully past the edge of his shulker box. Heart beating quickly, he pushed himself up, examining the stripe of white-hot pain against his right arm, watching as a small drop of red started to form against his skin. Like a mockery, of everything he had to deal with.

His wanted to scream but his mind was numb, looking at the cut whilst his eyes started to water. Reaching out to the muscle in his leg, he tried to move it, watching as all he managed to do was twitch. His legs couldn't move.

He couldn't move.

"No..." He mumbled, staring at his legs like he was willing them to do something, anything. Exerting so much effort just into kicking, unable to get more than a single twitch. It was as if they were locked up by some magic, something purposely keeping him there, powerless against an invisible force. He felt faint.

"No!" With a shout, he pushed himself up with his arms, dragging his limp legs along. He had to move deeper into the room, his mind supplied hazily, he had to get out of sight of the red sky. Crawling, grunting with the effort, he forced himself to move forward, feeling the wound on his arm begin to bleed more heavily. 

He'd only just made it to the nearest shulker to lean on when his legs were overcome with excruciating pain, forcing out any thoughts but ones focused on the flaming heat in his legs. It was if he'd fallen into lava, the pain burning deep into his skin with no real damage on the outside. Oh, but the pain was agonizing. Gasping for air, arms tensed across the shulker, his hands formed tight fists as waves of pain overcame him, leaving a ringing in his ears.

He couldn't tell if he was screaming.

Just as quickly as it came, the pain left, leaving his trembling body slumped against the shulker. No doubt it was because of that red sky. He was just a pawn in some game he held no pieces in, powerless against whatever was going to come next. A game, which Xisuma knew about. He felt sick, used.

"Oh my goodness, Tango! What are you doing here, sleeping on the floor." Zedaph's light voice cut through the haze, easily blocking out the dark thoughts. Tango gasped for breath, his body starting to shake as his eyes locked on with Zedaph's kind but worried ones. His left arm, still prickling with droplets of red, now shot out with strength he did not know he had as he grabbed Zedaph's wrist, Zedaph eliciting a small cry at the sudden movement.

"What colour is the sky?" He asked, quietly, throat scratchy from all the shouting. He wasn't sure why he was still hoping, still asking. "Please."

Maybe it was something in the tone of his voice, but for once, Zedaph did what he asked without comment. Second passed with each haggard breath, as he watched Zedaph lean to the side to peak at the red sky he tried so desperately to escape. The red sky that surrounded his base, taunting him.

"The sky is blue. Tango, mate, are you alright?"

The words cut through his resolve like a steel knife, slicing up the little bit of dignity he had left. Eyes stung and burned, the first of his tears finally falling. He surged forward, burying himself in Zedaph's shoulder, tears staining the other's shirt as arms hesitantly wrapped around him. He didn't even want to think about what he looked like to Zedaph, weak, fragile. So different from how he usually portrayed himself.

It took him a moment to realise Zedaph was talking.

"...don't know what this is about, but we'll get you someplace comfortable okay? Maybe we can go to Impulse's base, have a nice sleepover like the good old days, huh?" Zedaph's hand was now patting his back awkwardly. In another time, he might have found the strength to crack a joke at that, but not now.

"Please, I don't want to see the sky." He whispered, afraid that the sky could hear him somehow. He heard Zedaph's breath stutter for a moment, hands stilling as he adjusted him to face him.

"Okay, then we'll go to my base. I'm calling Xisuma, and he's going to fix this mess, okay? Can you walk? 

And he wasn't sure why but when he reached out for his legs, he could move them again. Still, they trembled from the aftershocks of pain and he blearily shook his head, seeing Zedaph give him a reassuring smile. A smile that made his day a thousand times better. 

"Come on then." Supporting him carefully, Zedaph tucked his arms under his body, scooping him into a bridal-style hold. Any other time, Tango would have complained, but now he could only feel himself relax against Zedaph's grip. A grip that only tightened when he sighed. Slowly, Zedaph adjusted his grip before launching off with extra rockets, speeding towards his base just over yonder.

Tango made a mental note to repay Zed with free rockets, later.

Eventually, they managed to make it to Zedaph's base, Tango relaxing when he saw the cave, void of the real sky, feeling the exhaustion finally start to hit him. But Zedaph only tightened his grip and mumbled 'not yet', carrying him over to a bed in the corner.

Setting him gently down on the bed, Zedaph moved away completely, allowing Tango to lie on his back. Tango instinctively reached out for Zedaph, only to feel nothing, swallowing as he propped himself up on his elbows. From a little bit away, Zedaph looked up from a shulker he was digging through, offering a small smile.

"Just rest Tango, you'll be safe here."

Tango felt his chest tighten for a second, before relaxing. The sky... it wasn't here. He could kid himself at that moment. And the fatigue was weighing heavily on his limbs now, pulling him deeper into the comfortable bed below him. His eyes were already beginning to close, but he had to do one more thing. "...Tell Xisuma I fell asleep." 

Zedaph nodded, watching him carefully until he lay down on his side. As Tango felt his eyes begin to close, he could barely register the sounds of blocks being placed, shielding him from the daunting, empty cave. Lips curled in a bare smile, he allowed himself to drift off, finally.

His dreams were full of nothing but red.

\-----

"What did Xisuma do now?" The low voice of Impulse sounded wrong in his ears, the usual cheery tone replaced with a far graver one. He heard Zedaph reply quietly, too quietly for him to make it out. Peeling his eyes open slowly, Tango peered around at the dimly lit room, one that was definitely not there before. Near the fake door, Impulse and Zedaph stood by, seemingly discussing something passionately.

With a groan, he rolled over on the bed, testing his legs again, still feeling the soreness in them.  
  
"Are you alright Tango?" He looked up at that touch, seeing Zedaph with his hand on his shoulder. Behind him, Impulse gave a strained smile, his hand tightly clutching his communicator.

"Y-Yeah, I think. My legs are still sore." Pushing himself up with Zedaph's help, he leaned against the headboard. Impulse put down the communicator on a makeshift table on the side, muttering something about getting water as Zedaph sifted quickly through a chest. Taking this chance to look around, Tango noticed he was in a haphazardly built room, walls made of random stone materials and countless windows giving a nice view of... the cave itself.

Really, sometimes he questioned his friend's bright ideas.

"Drink up Tango!" Impulse walked back in with a cup of water, offering it to him. Tango happily accepted it, feeling the cool water soothe the scratchiness of his throat. Feeling his bed dip down as Impulse joined Zedaph on the edge of the bed, his mind drifted back to what he heard before.

"What happened?" He watched as the two exchanged glances, before Zedaph sighed, giving in.

"Well... we messaged Xisuma for you, or I did, and..." Zedaph paused for a second. "He said he was busy, and thanked us for telling him. Busy, he said! When you could hardly walk and your eyes were glazed over as I brought you over here!"

"Didn't you tell Bdubs that the sky is red? He caught me on the way in the shopping district, told me to check in on you." Impulse asked, peering at him curiously. 

Tango sighed, looking away from the concerned gazes of his friends. Something outside the window flashed red. "I... Yeah, it was red. I don't know why, maybe it's a glitch? Maybe there's something wrong with me..."

Without warning, Zedaph's arms were flung around his frame, the other hugging him tightly. Hesitantly, Tango returned the hug, feeling Zedaph tuck his head into his shoulders. Behind him, Impulse offered a sad smile. 

"We may not be admins, we may not know what's wrong, but we aren't going to leave you behind."

Tango felt the first sign of tears well up in his eyes, hiding his face in Zedaph's hair to block his tears. Mumbling 'thank you's from his position, he could hear a smile creep back into Impulse's voice, almost like it were all back to normal.

"Anything for you, man. We'll fix this together."

\-----

Tango sat down heavily on the bed, breathing hard as Impulse tried to hide his frown. A few days had passed since then, but his condition had only worsened. The soreness from before had evolved into some sort of weakness in his limbs, preventing him from taking more than a few steps before collapsing. 

He had never felt frustration built up higher in his chest.

"Here." Zedaph thrust yet another strength potion in his hands, even though they knew it didn't do much. No matter how much the two tried to science it, the potions did nothing but offer a few minutes of respite.

Smiling gratefully anyway, he threw his head back with the bottle, feeling the effects sink into his body. Even though his condition was getting worse, no other hermit except the three knew about the extent of it. Xisuma had made sure they only knew Tango was sick. Still, Bdub's messages persisted day after day, to no real answers.

Frankly, they could not answer him, when they did not have one themselves.

"Good for a walk, Tango?" Impulse gave him an unsure smile, standing back up with his hands held steadily in front of him. Zedaph joined Impulse, standing by him as if waiting for Tango to fall. Tango hated how weak he was, but he knew better than to refuse their help. 

"Thank you." He took Impulse's sure hand in his own, pushing himself up on unsteady feet. With Zedaph's hand on his back, he found his balance easily enough, giving the two a smile as he forced one foot to step in front.

Slowly, they took a few steps forward, Zedaph's encouraging words egging him on, to take just one more step, one more step closer to the door. Tango closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath through the trembling in his legs, before opening them again.

Without warning, Tango's vision flooded with red as he gasped, taking a step back. He could barely hear the other two as his mind spun wildly, thinking of the red, the overwhelming red. Thinking of a blood-red sky, dripping, dripping with his own blood...

"Tango!" The shout broke through his thoughts, looking up into Impulse's shocked eyes before feeling his limbs lock up like before, restricting, mind screaming as his body began to shake. Remembering that excruciating pain, the stinging feel of burning. He wasn't sure who was shouting, until he refocused on the present and saw Impulse and Zedaph thrown against the wall, looking at him with confusion, fear.

Tango's mind was racing, too fast for any concrete thoughts.

The door to their makeshift slammed open, three heads swiveling to see who it was. As Tango's gaze fell upon the stranger, a gripping sense of danger and familiarity wrapped around him, and he felt the inexplicable urge to run. Somehow, he knew he was the man behind the red sky.

"Pleasure to meet you three. Again, of course, but you don't know that." The man looked scarily similar to Xisuma, though his armor was all red. Red. Tango couldn't help an involuntary shiver as the man walked closer to him.

"Don't touch him." Impulse snarled, in a way that Tango had never heard leave the other's man's mouth. With an eye roll, the man waved his hand, and Tango could only watch in horror as Impulse's mouth audibly clicked shut against his will. If looks could kill, the stranger would have been dead on the floor.

"Now, where were we?" The stranger hummed, almost teasingly, as he ran a finger under Tango's jaw. "You don't need to know my name, really, but for formalities sake, you can call me Ex. With an E please, I'm not my brother."

"What do you want from me?" Tango managed out, almost in a whisper. A cheshire cat smile spread across Ex's face.

"Well..." Ex drawled out. "I don't want anything from you, per say, but..." He let out a mocking sigh. "It seems like my dear brother ran out of time." The fingers under his chin tightened it's hold, tilting his face into the light. "So you're mine for the taking."

At those words, he swallowed hard, only registering the red of the visor and the black eyes behind it. From the corner of his eye, he could see Impulse and Zedaph struggle even harder against the invisible bonds. And if he focused hard enough, he could hear a faint whistling in the distance. Ex seemed to follow his gaze, eyes softening for a split second before barking out a laugh.

"No one's coming for you, Tango. Plus, I'd love to drag this out, but unluckily for you, I'm not in the mood to deal with that messy business." Ex grinned, not even bothering to silence Zedaph's shouts. "Any last words for me? Could pass it on to my dear brother for you."

Tango glared at Ex even as fear rose in his throat, unwilling to talk to the stranger in front of him. Despite the low trembling in his frozen body, the pounding of his heart, he wanted to go out with his head held high. No way was he going to answer.

Ex seemed almost disappointed by his lack of response, if his tutting was anything to go by. Slowly, those cold fingers lowered around Tango's neck, squeezing lightly. Watching with a mix of satisfaction and pity as Tango's eyes widened ever so slightly, a finger twitching, trying but failing to stop himself from choking out. 

Ex almost reveled in that feeling of power.

Pressing his fingers harder now, he watched as Tango's eyes begin to water, unable to retaliate in the slightest. Still, Ex never claimed to be a cruel man, and with a sigh, he began to tug on Tango's soul.

"No!" 

All of a sudden, he felt a force whip across his back, making him let go in surprise. Turning around, Ex locked eyes with the one person this was all for, letting a teasing smile spread across his face as he other ran towards him before disappearing from view.

\-----

Launching himself forward, Xisuma grabbed Tango's body before it could fall, gripping him by the back of his neck. He could still feel his brother flitting around the room, watching, trying to see what he would do. The words he had been forced to use before on Doc came rushing through his mind, sitting on the tip of his tongue, waiting. Xisuma knew what was coming next.

Tango's body suddenly jerked as Xisuma felt Ex begin pulling, again. 

Without hesitation, he began murmuring, holding on tightly for fear of losing another hermit. He felt the whole world tug against his grip, trying to take away Tango before he could finish the command on his tongue. Distantly, he could hear the sound of yelling, but he was too focused on keeping Tango here until it was enough. 

He couldn't let it happen again.

Engaged in this deadly tug of war, he could feel a familiar presence creep into his mind, and he couldn't help but snarl in reply.

"Xisuma...dear brother, why even try? He will be safe with me. Look, I brought back your precious NHO, didn't I? You've got nothing to fear." The low hissing curled around his form, encompassing and loud, his hands starting to shake from the effort. He steeled him, voice changing as his body started to shift to his other form, his fingers on Tango's head and torso shifting into claws.

"I did what you asked, you know I did. Let him go." He heard a gasp, presumably from Zedaph or Impulse, but he couldn't even think before that low hissing was blocking out the sounds again.

"But you were late..." Teasing, creeping into his own thoughts. "You should just let him go."

"No!" He roared, hands shifting down from Tango's head to his shoulders as he drew himself up to full form. Around him, the glass windows shattered, a million shards held in a standstill as he felt the presence recoil slightly. He was always more powerful than the other, even if it never seemed like it.

The seconds ticked on, the shards of glass never wavering. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath.

"...very well." The hissing seemed less urgent now, but Xisuma couldn't relax yet. The voice still as teasing as before. "I'll give him back...well, mostly."

His heart skipped a beat as that voice laughed, maddeningly so, stumbling backwards as he felt Tango's soul fall back into his body with childish force. But...something was missing.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, dear brother. I'm sure Tango will be too."

"Wait!" He shouted, but that presence moved too quickly for him to retaliate, and then it was gone, the sky losing its reddish hue. Tango stumbled forward, catching himself against Xisuma's chest to steady himself. Xisuma let out a breath he didn't know he was and the glass finally fell, crashing to the floor with a sharp tinkle.

There was silence for a moment, stunned silence.

"...Tango?" Xisuma heard Zedaph call out, could fell him walk over the glass carefully even without seeing. He felt a sinking feeling in his chest as his claws reached carefully around Tango's smaller frame, a finger lifting his chin as Tango opened his eyes.

His heart broke to see the solid red in them.

"...Xisuma?" Tango voice hitched, fingers curling against his chesr armour. He heard the other two halt behind him, gasping when they saw it. "I-I can't see..."

An overwhelming feeling of failure threatened to drown him as his claws retracted, his body shrinking back into its human form. Wrapping his arms tightly around the stunned man in front of him, he couldn't tell who was shaking, until he was held steady by Impulse or Zedaph's arms. A hand patted comforting on his back, but it was not going to be enough.

He slowly untangled himself from the three, watching from the outside as they whispered to and comforted Tango. The longer he watched, the more could feel himself spiral into his own thoughts. His stomach clenched painfully.

He had failed, again.

\-----

"X?"

Xisuma didn't bother glancing up, already able to tell exactly who it was from the lack of elytra usage. Part of him just wanted to leave now, before he overstayed his welcome, but another part of him was just too tired of running.

It had been a long two months of avoiding Tango, of trying his best to dig through the code as if he hadn't done it a hundred times before. Of feeling the gazes of other hermits pass over in judgment, every time he appeared in the shopping district, just knowing. Knowing he failed, knowing it was he who let Tango lose his sight. They didn't have to know the whole story to know he couldn't fix it.

Frankly, he wasn't sure why Impulse, Zedaph, or Tango didn't just tell the hermits the truth. He didn't deserve their small mercies.

He stared glumly at the ground as Tango sat down beside him, giving him enough space to gather his thoughts. He wasn't sure why he came back to Tango's base, but sitting on the blue tower had been soothing in ways he hadn't felt since the incident. Watching the purple sunset, the stars rise and sparkle against the blue night sky, it was calming. Soothed his heavy heart.

"X, I don't need to see to know you've been here for hours. I could hear your thoughts from downstairs." 

It was almost painful, how casually Tango referenced his loss of sight. Sure, he knew Tango was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but losing his sight surely cost him a lot of experiences. like flying or even building. It all just wouldn't be the same.

He knew Tango hadn't decorated his base since then, except to fill in large walls of the same colour. And even then, he knew Zedaph or Impulse were always watching, standing by him. It pained him to think of how much his fights with his brother affected his fellow hermits.

Xisuma jolted at the feeling of a sudden cold hand on his back, finally glancing up to see Tango smiling back with a mustache on his face. It sure seemed like the incident hadn't taken away his happiness, if the amount of shenanigans he'd heard around and about were to be believed. From taking Mumbo's mustache to throwing a piano out of his tower window, it seemed like nothing had changed even when everything had.

Sure, it might have been funny for the boomers to see Tango spell 'scap' instead of 'scar', but to him, it only reminded him of failure.

"X...? I'm really starting to worry..." Tango's voice was pitched quieter, his hand rubbing comfortingly against his back. Xisuma let out a long-drawn sigh.

"Sorry." He breathed out, not really daring to meet Tango's gaze. Even up til now, he couldn't bear to meet those red eyes. "I've just been thinking."

Tango hummed under his breath, nodding. "Well, I'm no expert, but I am what some consider a friend. So, what's on your mind?"

Xisuma paused for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts. He wanted to be honest with Tango, at least. "I just... I feel like I failed the hermits, you know? Every time he comes, I'm just helpless against his plans. And whenever I fail to produce what he wants, he can easily take it out of any of you. And still, no one remembers what happens each time they disappear, no one but me."

"I owe everyone an explanation. Most of all, I owe you one, I think."

"X..." Tango's voice was painfully free of judgment, just soft and reassuring. "You owe me nothing. I've forgiven you a long time ago, you just have to forgive yourself."

"I can't just forgive myself so easily. It's happened before, and I know it will happen again. I've failed and you know it." Xisuma wrapped his arms around himself, gripping hard. "I don't think I deserve your forgiveness."

Tango smiled sadly. "Too bad, you can't decide that for others."

Xisuma sighed, letting his breath escape slowly through his mouth. "I owe you an apology, at the very least. I'm sorry, Tango. I'm sorry for letting you take the fall for my failures, for letting my brother take your sight. God, I would do anything to go back to that day."

"I still remember how close he was to getting you. Remembered that deep feeling of deja vu, as if it was Doc instead in my arms, clawing and screaming for the others I failed to protect. I... I don't know how to accept your forgiveness if I can't even forgive myself."

He was looking back at his hands by now, remembering it all like it happened yesterday, always wondering how they got to this point. They co-existed once, peacefully, together. He doesn't even remember what changed anymore.

"I know I can't just tell you not to forgive me. I know, it's pointless to beat myself up, because it won't change anything. I just hope you know I've been trying to fix this, and I don't care how long it will take. I will try forever if I have to, if it means I could earn your forgiveness."

"I'm glad you've chosen to forgive me, Tango, and I truly, honestly, accept it. Though, you've got to excuse me. I need more time to do the same for myself."

Xisuma closed his eyes for a moment, just breathing in the silence. Just wishing it was all fixed, wishing that everything would go back to normal, wishing that Tango would be okay again. It was only after a few, strung out seconds that he realised exactly how silent Tango was.

Cracking open his eyes, he was startled by the massive grin on Tango's face. Eyebrows furrowed, he could only look at Tango's red eyes in confusion. "What?"

Without warning, Tango launched himself forward into a hug, catching Xisuma by surprise. Xisuma's eyebrows only deepened, wondering if Tango was okay.

"Xisuma... frowning will only give you more wrinkles," Tango said with a laugh. Xisuma frowned even harder, reaching up to touch his face before the words fully registered in his mind.

Tango... Tango could see him. 

"No way..." He mumbled, wonderingly, even as Tango's smile widened.

"I don't know, I can see you! I can see my base! I can... who changed the colour of my plant?" Tango's voice took on an offended tone as he glanced down to the plant on his lawn, his smile betraying his true feelings. Xisuma could only focus on the fact that for some reason, his brother allowed Tango to see again.

Not even wanting to question it, he returned the hug, burying his face in Tango's shoulder as his mind started to race. Tango was okay now. He may have messed up before, he may still have no answers for his hermits, but it was all fine now. 

The road to self-forgiveness would still be a long one, but at least he'd found his way back.

As Tango began to speak excitedly, Xisuma looked up to the night sky, seeing a hint of red beneath the dark hues. Quietly, under his breath, he could only say one thing.

"Thank you."

From a distance, a man could only smile back, before quietly switching off his screens and walking away, leaving his red helmet behind.

**Author's Note:**

> *slams head on keyboard* woah was this a hefty one! it might honestly be the longest one-shot I've written that definitely wasn't purposely made to be 6666 words for Ex ;)
> 
> Honestly though, this was the bright idea that slapped me across the head in one shower I had and I really hope I did it justice? I'm scared I've done too many cuts but eh it's at 6666 words I'm not changing anything-
> 
> hope you enjoyed though! because I'm really proud of this :)


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